Crispy Panko Swai Soft Tacos with Pineapple & Corn Salsa

In the past few years, street tacos have become so popular. We are fortunate that there are so many great places locally that sell them. My husband and I have a few spots in Portland, Oregon that we really love. Stella Taco and ¿Por Qué No? are our two favorite restaurants for authentic, delicious street tacos. They have savory fillings like Barbacoa, Al Pastor, Carnitas, Chorizo and my absolute favorite- the tacos de pescado! This taco consists of fried fish, lettuce or cabbage, pico de gallo, and a sour cream, all placed on top of a corn or flour tortilla. D-e-l-i-c-i-o-s-o!!

Living in the country has its benefits, but also its down side. We have to drive 40 minutes to get good tacos, so I decided to try and make some of my own crispy tacos de pescado at home. I really love this recipe because of the crispiness of the flaky fish and the variety of flavors in the salsa. Though I know that Panko is a Japanese ingredient, I decided to use it as it gives a great crunchy texture to fried food.

The tacos turned out great and my entire family loved them! Even my one daughter who is the pickiest eater of all time love them. Serve them with toppings or just as is, they are a great way to introduce fish to kids. You can just tell them they are fish sticks! I highly recommend breading all of your fish first and then getting your oil ready, so all you have to do is time the cooking of your fish and make sure it doesn't get overly brown. Enjoy!

For this recipe, you will need the following ingredients:

Ingredients:

4- 8 ounce Swai or Tilapia fillets
1 cup flour
2 cups Panko bread crumbs
1/2 tsp salt for bread crumb mixture
2 eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp finely ground black pepper
1/3 cup water
Vegetable oil
Sour cream

Pineapple, Vidalia & Corn Salsa (see recipe below)
Corn tortillas

Directions:

1. Rinse and pat dry the Swai fillets and place on a paper towel lines place and set aside.

2. Prepare two large baking sheets- one lined with a single layer of paper towels and one lined with a double layer of paper towels and set aside.

2. Add flour, Panko, and salt to a gallon sized plastic zip bag, mix and set aside.

3. Beat 2 eggs, water, salt, and pepper together in a medium sized bowl or a deep plate.

4. Dip fillets, one at a time, in egg mixture and allow excess to drip off. Place the fillet in the Panko mixture, zip bag closed and shake until coated.

5. While fish is still in the ziptop bag, press breadcrumbs into fish. Gently shake off excess bread crumbs and place on a single paper towel lined baking sheet. Continue steps 4-5 until you have breaded all of your fish.

6. Heat a frying pan with oil until it reaches 350 degrees. Once oil reaches desired temperature, cook for 4 minutes on each side. You may to cook a little longer depending on the thickness of the fillet.

7. When the fish is golden brown, remove from pan and set on prepared baking sheet to remove excess oil. Repeat with remaining fillets.

Pineapple, Vidalia & Corn Salsa

Ingredients:

4-5 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 Vidalia onion, finely chopped
1 can diced green chilies
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2-14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes with green chiles
2 tsp sugar
1/4-1/2 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
1/2-3/4 cup fresh pineapple, chopped
1/2 cup cooked sweet corn, removed from cob (you can also used canned, but make sure to drain well)

Directions:
1. Prepare pineapple and fresh vegetables, place in a large mixing bowl. 

2. Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Allow to sit at least 2 hours in refrigerator before serving. The longer the salsa can rest, the greater the depth of flavor will be.